Although the route can be ridden in either direction, but most prefer a southwest flow from Fruita to Moab which enables a legendary finale down Porcupine Rim. Kokopelli 140 MTB Individual 144 miles, full course, alone! The Kokopelli Trail is one of the most coveted bikepacking routes out there, and for good reason. You could plan to finish on a day a friend was driving back from Moab. Order Online. 7 Things to Do in Californias Alabama Hills: Movie Road, Hiking, Stargazing & More! The next closest would be Grand Junction or Salt Lake City (SLC). Go out with a spirit of excitement and return with a sense of accomplishment. The Kokopelli Trail is even marked on these maps. Starting with the Ruby Canyon Section, youll continue on through Rabbit Valley, Westwater, Fish Ford, and Yellow Jacket Canyon sections. If youre like me and have a passion for riding your bike, then read on. We cached water at a few road crossings, brought bikes with high-volume tires, and generally respected the challenges of the trail more. We are proud to be independent and reader-supported. Starting with the Ruby Canyon Section, youll continue on through Rabbit Valley, Westwater, Fish Ford, and Yellow Jacket Canyon sections. You carry all your gear on the bike, from food/water . sounds like a great trip! The Kokopelli Trail starts out on some single track affording beautiful views of the Colorado River. Website Take me there. I'm going to be riding into Moab towards the end of June or early July. It connects some of the best singletrack around in Fruita and Moab with 100 miles of ATV roads. There is some water along the route, but not enough to forego caching water unless you can carry enough water for 2 days. This incredibly scenic trail takes you along the Colorado Plateau and through colorful stretches of Utah as well as in and out of valleys. We believe travel by bicycle has the power to encourage conservation, inclusivity, and respect for all people and cultures. Happy planning! The following page is broken down into sections highlighting The Project's main categories. NO PERSONAL WATERCRAFT ARE ALLOWED IN CROSSWINDS MARSH. Many of the BLM campgrounds lining the trail do not have water, or if they do its not potable. From Westwater, youll ride more desert Jeep roads through a vast desert expanse with red rock formations in the distance. The trail was named in honor of its mythic muse, Kokopelli. As mentioned above it does allow one to sight see along the way. Bikepacking has taken the mountain bike world by storm, with the upper echelon of bikepackers continuing to shatter time barriers and pioneer incredible . Timing bikepacking the Kokopelli trail with the weather can be a challenge. With our tough and long-lasting Kokopelli bikepacking packrafts, you can explore gravel roads and winding rivers on your next bikepacking expedition in the wilderness. 150 miles. The closes airports to fly into would beMoab (CNY) itself, but the cost would be extremely high. For Issue 08, we invited several contributors to return and pick up where earlier trips and ideas left off and also feature a handful of first-timers whose perspectives weve long been eager to share Issue 07 Issue seven is a celebration of courage and discovery of what were capable of when we dont let others expectations define us Issue 06 examined a diverse range of topics, including embracing aloneness, rekindling a sense of adventure, grappling with failure, and many more Kaitlyn Boyle and Kurt Refsnider both set new FKTs (fastest known times) on the 140-mile Kokopelli Trail over the weekend. Our inflatable packrafts are lightweight, durable, and very easy to transport. Celebrate your thru-hiking class with the Class of ___ T-shirt! A big storm can leave you stranded on unrideable dirt roads of sticky, peanut butter mud that will stop your wheels from turning. The Bikepacking Journal is our biannual printed publication. There are also ways to filter silty water using alum. The route is an epic medley of singletrack, doubletrack, sand and tarmac technical climbs, rugged descents, and graded terrain. Kristina Ritchie (@get_terrestrial) Instagram photos and videos, .fca_eoi_form{ margin: auto; } .fca_eoi_form p { width: auto; } #fca_eoi_form_1856 input{ max-width: 9999px; }#fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_layout_name_field_wrapper {display: none !important;}#fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_layout_description_copy_wrapper {display: none !important;}.tooltipster-sidetip.tooltipster-borderless.tooltipster-optin-cat .tooltipster-box .tooltipster-content { color: #fff }.tooltipster-optin-cat.tooltipster-sidetip.tooltipster-top .tooltipster-arrow-border { border-top-color: #d63031 !important }.tooltipster-optin-cat.tooltipster-sidetip.tooltipster-bottom .tooltipster-arrow-border { border-bottom-color: #d63031 !important }.tooltipster-sidetip.tooltipster-borderless.tooltipster-optin-cat .tooltipster-box { background-color: #d63031 !important }.fca_eoi_layout_inputs_wrapper { background-color: unset !important }#fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_form_input_element::-webkit-input-placeholder {opacity:0.6;color:#595252;}#fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_form_input_element::-moz-placeholder {opacity:0.6;color:#595252;}#fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_form_input_element:-ms-input-placeholder {opacity:0.6;color:#595252;}#fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_form_input_element:-moz-placeholder {opacity:0.6;color:#595252;}#fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_layout_15.fca_eoi_layout_widget div.fca_eoi_layout_submit_button_wrapper:hover, #fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_layout_15.fca_eoi_layout_widget div.fca_eoi_layout_submit_button_wrapper input:hover {background-color:#b96701 !important;} So, long story short yes I bet you could absolutely do it, but no I probably wouldn't recommend it. Looking up from Fischer Valley to the top of the climb next to the la sals, giving myself a goal of making it there in 5 hours, and getting up in 5 hours to look back down at the valley. The first 15 miles of the Kokopelli are technical singletrack. IMPORTANT NOTICE: The La Sal Loop Road is currently undergoing construction this spring/summer/fall, 2017 and portions of it is closed, including a section of it that is used by the Kokopelli Trail. This Kokopelli Trail Guide will give you everything you need to know. It's a marin pine mountain 2 but I don't think they make the purple anymore sadly. Bikepacking on the Kokopelli Trail Photos and words by Joel Caldwell The Kokopelli Trail is a beautiful route winding from Fruita, Colorado to Moab, Utah. The true scale of this landscape is only appreciated after much concentrated, technical riding on so called dirt roads, long descents and climbs out of the smallest of canyons, and by peering off the edge of the rim into an endless void of night. Skyler Des Roches (OffRoute.ca). *By clicking submit, you're also subscribing to our email list. Find a detailed guide on the route below including parking, resupply and how to plan the perfect trip. The last time I was there, I was told that the pipes were contaminated with E. Coli. } This epic bikepacking adventure promises an incredible final descent as you wearily make your way into Moab. seeing another biker's footprint along the route where I had to hike-a-bike, going solo this felt like a small bit of camaraderie on the trail and always made me smile! Ride, Eat, Sleep, Repeat Arizona Trail Race. I love the Bar M Trails just outside town for their flowy singletrack trail goodness. Nowhere else can you find scenery quite like this! The legendary Kokopelli Trail, 140 miles of desert and mountain riding between Moab and Fruita. For some time now the Kokopelli was without an official race on the calendar. Continuing on through the Marys Loop area, youll leave the river and parallel Mack Ridge before the river returns along with views of the Black Ridge Canyons. Bikepackers camping along the Kokopelli trail, The singletrack section youll start on is some of the best mountain biking in the country, Descending out of the La Sal Mountain range into Moab is a particularly fun downhill, Many of the dirt roads are impassable after heavy rains. The Local Overnighters Project is a unified effort to document and map one-night bikepacking routes all over the worldby locals, in their own backyards. #fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_layout_15.fca_eoi_layout_widget div.fca_eoi_layout_submit_button_wrapper { Hot on the heels of Lachlan Mortons record that was just set in May of this year, Kurt set a new mens fastest known time as well, knocking 19 minutes off of Lachlans already impressive ride. If youre not from the area and want to see the Rocky Mountains you can fly into Denver International Airport (DIA), and rent a car. Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed. After the first 20 miles of singletrack, youll ride about 30 miles of dirt roads through Rabbit Valley, Castle Rocks, and Coal Draw. RECOMMENDED ROUTE Difficult. More technical singletrack sections are on the descent into Moab and scattered throughout the route. As the leading creator and publisher of bikepacking routes, BIKEPACKING.com endeavors to maintain, improve, and advocate for our growing network of bikepacking routes all over the world. The Kokopelli Trail is a difficult bikepacking trail. On the DiscoverMoab.com website there is a list of companies offering shuttle service to Grand Junction. Auto Repair. I would have gladly traded out for either of those bikes when it the trail started getting a little chunkier. From the parking lot for the Marys Loop trail system the Kokopelli winds its way southwest over improved roads, four-wheel-drive roads, pavement, and single-track. The Kokopelli Trail is an 136.4 milemulti use recreational trail that goes from Fruita, CO to Moab, UT. I recommend using an Ursack as well, just in case. Moab Express provides shuttle service from Moab to the start of the Kokopelli Trail at Loma Trailhead. One group dropped water at Rabbit Valley and Dewey Bridge, the other group drove the dirt road in an SUV to Fisher Valley and left a cache there. The experience was humbling and quite challenging. If you have a vital issue or opportunity regarding this route that pertains to one of the subjects below, please let us know: **Advocacy opportunities may include bringing awareness to a new trail project, conservation initiative, access potential, or local effort that we might help with or bring awareness to via our broad-reaching platform. This requires a 9 mile pavement ride to the Kokepellis Trailhead, but offers a safe parking solution. The other person in our group did not bring a storm-worthy shelter. Technical sections will challenge your mountain biking skills. The Kokopelli Trail is a 142-mile desert bikepacking route linking the mountain biking epicenters of Fruita, Colorado, and Moab, Utah. There are many steep, exposed climbs throughout the route. The Kokopelli Trail starts outside Fruita, Colorado, on some of the best singletrack in the Mountain West. Our Best Mountain Bike Lights guide also covers other mountain bike-specific lights. The road is scheduled to open on weekends after May 27th. In terms of ride-a-bility the Kokopelli offers plenty of it and very little HAB. Its a high-quality down quilt that has reliably kept me warm for 1000s of trail miles. Over the Edge bike shop suggests people park behind Suds Brothers Brewery at 127 E Aspen Ave, Fruita, CO 81521. As an affiliate partner, One of Seven Project earns a commission for purchases made through any product, brand logo links, or banner ads on this page. After at least 6 failed attempts in the mid-1990s, Gary became the first to ride the 140-mile-long Kokopelli Trail self-supported in one day. Or toss some spare change inthe PayPal tip jar. You may try and see if one would drop you back off in Fruita. There is amazing camping here, awesome slick rock riding, and stunning Colorado Plateau rock formations. width:100%; Most of your riding will be on dirt and paved roads, with some singletrack thrown in for good measure. The desert environment can be unforgiving. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. #fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_layout_15.fca_eoi_layout_widget div.fca_eoi_layout_name_field_wrapper { It connects some of the best singletrack around in Fruita and Moab with 100 miles of ATV roads. There is some concern with possible theft but it worked out fine for me. There are a couple of options for staging and parking; as advised by folks at Over The Edge bike shop, we chose to leave a vehicle in the parking lot behind Suds Brothers Brewery in downtown Fruita. The first time I attempted the trail in a group, we werent fully prepared and bailed. This Kokopelli Trail Guidebook from Bikerpelli is also helpful for planning your trip. You will be looking for East Mill Creek Drive which turns into Sand Flats Rd The Trail: The Kokopelli Trail is part of the Grand loop, a bikepacking route that combines the Kokopelli Trail, Paradox Trail and Tabegauche Trail. The Kokopelli Trail starts outside Fruita, Colorado, on some of the best singletrack in the Mountain West. Over 143 miles, you climb about 14,000 feet/4,144 meters and descend about the same. The allure of the bigger Grand Loop caught Dye's intrigue. Bikepacking is generally in the backcountry, but you can backpack on local trails. #fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_layout_15.fca_eoi_layout_widget div.fca_eoi_layout_email_field_wrapper { This works only if you dont have any issues and show up on time. In total you will ride for 142 miles and there are a few bailout options along the way should you need to. The houdini is a tiny little windbreaker with DWR that I felt would be enough for the small chance of rain in my forecast and chillier mornings riding. This epic bikepacking adventure promises an incredible final descent as you wearily make your way into Moab. We were granted access by the weather up and over the La Sals unlike our previous attempt. Read more on the About Me page. The ride is not for the novice rider, the climbs and technical sections alone make it more for those with a bit more experience. #fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_layout_15.fca_eoi_layout_widget div.fca_eoi_layout_submit_button_wrapper { This story may contain affiliate links, which help fund our website. At Treeline, we want you to buy right the first time. width:100%; The Kokopelli Trail is a classic bikepacking route that spans 140 miles of rugged jeep roads and singletrack through some of the most captivating terrain in the area. We believe travel by bicycle has the power to encourage conservation, inclusivity, and respect for all people and cultures. Start at our worldwide routes map to dig into our detailed guides with GPS maps and inspiring photography.
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